That night I stood alone at our back yard with my arms wrapped around myself. It is the only place with a good view of the heavens. It was cold and dark but it didn’t matter. I had my jumper on. I was so eager to stare up at the sky and watch the Geminid Meteor shower which is the last meteor shower of every year and happens every December (well feel free to correct me if I am wrong). That was actually my first meteor shower watch. Lucky me! The sky was clear. The clouds must have known I'd watch that they didn’t dare block the view.
I sat there and waited for the dots glued on the dark blue sky to fall which is how I envisioned it. Ha-ha. Now I realize why I haven’t seen one before. I have been waiting for the wrong ones to fall. We call them falling or shooting stars but they are not actual stars. The shooting stars I saw that evening came out of nowhere and with a blink of an eye they’re gone. Just like that. Their very quick appearance and disappearance startled me. They kind of confused me on what to do first, whether to make a wish or just enjoy the scenery.
Countless times I tried to look for falling stars before whenever I remember but to no avail they seem to not like me as much as i liked them. I endured an hour scanning the clearing from where I was seated on that lovely night of December 13, 2012. All in all I saw 38 shooting stars from all directions; north, south, east, west and, even overhead.
My heart jumped. I literally jumped and screamed out there the moment I saw my first shooting star. I got crazy. I beamed with joy. I was ecstatic. Was it even real? It seemed bizarre for me; it was real but it felt like I just saw it on a telly screen. Watching the meteor fade again in the darkness is just amazing. It brought the feeling of joy and hope. For me it will always be a rare event. I don’t get to witness falling stars often.
Out of the 38 shooting stars that caught my eyes, I probably wished for the same things more than once. Lucky for my first wish. It was the first one that popped into my head and i just blurted it without thinking. Although at the end of my wish i'd always say let God's mighty will be done. Now the next thing to do is to verify whether the wishes i had will come true or not. I have my fingers crossed right now.
Whenever I’d see one, I would cup my hand, pretend to catch it, place it close to my heart, close my eyes and whisper my wish. Then I’d go back to finding another one again. I strained my neck but it was worth it until I was already too sleepy to keep up. Mum accompanied me for just a few minutes and she luckily saw three while my brother prolly saw one. One falling star was enough but I was very fortunate to see more than the number I expected.
I got here dates so I can keep up on next year’s meteor showers courtesy of sfc.nasa.gov.
- Quadrantids - January 1-6
- April Lyrids - April 19-24
- Eta Aquarids - May 1-8
- Delta Aquarids - July 15- August 15
- Perseids - July 25 - August 18
- Orionids - October 16-27
- Taurids - October 20-November 30
- Leonids - November 15-20
- Geminids - December 7-15
Catch a falling star an’ put it in your pocket, never let it fade away
Catch a falling star an’ put it in your pocket, save it for the rainy day
For love may come an' tap you on the shoulder, Some star-less night!
Just in case you feel you wanna’ hold her, You’ll have a pocketful of starlight!
~Perry Como
